


black sands

by Anonymous



Series: mythical-soul's fics [9]
Category: Rhett & Link
Genre: Caretaking, Domestic Fluff, Light Angst, Link Neal needs a hug, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-17
Updated: 2018-07-17
Packaged: 2019-06-12 02:56:42
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,835
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15330210
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/
Summary: Link was sat at the edge of their tub and when he tried to take his shirt off, there were hands brushing them away and grabbing the hem of his shirt. He focused his eyes on Rhett, kneeling in front of him with a tender look on his face. “Let me take care of you,” Rhett said.(or a fic in which Rhett takes care of a very, very tired Link)





	black sands

**Author's Note:**

> so after listening [this ear biscuits](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r9BmsocwWD0) and sobbing my heart out, i just wanted to write a fic where link gets taken care by his toll boyfriend. i love them.

 

“Come here,” Rhett murmured as soon as he laid eyes on him.

It was early, still cold. The sun had come up only a few hours ago and it was now shinning lightly onto their bedroom. Rhett had watched the sunrise unintentionally, woken up by nothing in the middle of the night.

He just couldn’t go back to sleep knowing that Link was going to come home at any moment.

It had been a rough week –or month, even year– for Link. It seemed as if everything was happening in a domino effect and Rhett could only observe restlessly from the sideline, watching as his boyfriend’s face crumbled whenever his phone lighted up with a call from home.

Rhett heard the car parking but didn’t move from bed.

There was silence for a few minutes before the front door opened and closed. It didn’t take long for Link to appear under the doorframe of their bedroom. His bag hung from one shoulder before dropping it to the floor without care, too tired to do anything else. Rhett had to stop himself from pressing his lips into a worried, thin line or dragging a sharp breath into his lungs –Link looked exhausted.

“Come here,” Rhett said softly, once more. He patted the empty space on the bed. “Link.”

Whatever trance Link was seemed to snap as soon as Rhett called his name. He blinked a few times before moving. He sat at the edge of the bed and, after taking a few seconds, he took his shoes off, left his glasses on his nightstand, and lay next to Rhett.

They didn’t say anything for a while because, what was there to say?

Rhett covered Link with the blanket at the end of the bed and Link had now realize he was shivering slightly. His boyfriend’s hand rested lightly on his waist comfortably before moving to push a few stands of his hair away from his face –gray hair that seemed lighter even when they had been only a day away.

Rhett sighed, observing him carefully, resting his hand on Link’s cheek, a little too warm and flushed.

Link closed his eyes at the touch, Rhett’s thumb moving tenderly over his cheekbone, brushing his eyelashes accidentally. His breath hitched at his boyfriend’s warm lips leaving kisses on his face.

The memories of these past few days washed over him, the smell of recycled air and antiseptic still stuck on his nose and, on top of everything, the feeling of comfort of Rhett’s touch made him too aware of everything. Link gasped, feeling as something was crushing his chest and, before he knew it, he was crying.

Rhett didn’t ask him what was wrong or if he was alright, he didn’t hush him down. His boyfriend just cradled him onto his arms, pressing him against his chest and caressing his back. If the sight of Link losing it broke Rhett’s heart, he didn’t look like it. He didn’t say anything.

He just allowed him to let it all out.

 

 

There were rays of sun falling on to them and the sound of the AC was humming in the room by the time Link calmed down. His breathing still hitched in time to time but Rhett had stopped feeling the tremors under his palm a few minutes ago.

They were just holding each other and Rhett was almost drifting back to sleep when he heard him.

“Hey,” Link mumbled tiredly, his voice surprisingly calm. Rhett moved away to get a look at his boyfriend: flushed and warm cheeks on pale skin, sweaty hair stuck to his forehead, and a purple shade appearing under those bright, teary eyes.

Rhett didn’t mean for his voice to sound weak. “Welcome back,” he replied and the small smile that Link replied him with was enough to make Rhett that everything will be fine, eventually.

Link sighed and moved to rest onto his back, taking a deep breath. “I’m exhausted. I think I caught something on the way back.” There was a hand moving from his forehead to his cheek, before resting on his chest.

“You do have a fever,” Rhett replied. “Maybe it’s the stress catching up to you.”

The only reply he got was the hum from the other side of the bed. Rhett shifted and sat beside Link, facing the headboard, and observed his boyfriend for a moment. He did look… too tired, too worn out, and the slight warm coming from him wasn’t settling any anxiousness brewing on Rhett’s chest.

“C’mon, let’s have a shower,” Rhett announced before moving out of bed and walking to the other side. Link turned his head at him, not saying anything and just blinking owlishly.

Rhett’s hands found Link’s and, with little resistance, got him out of the bed and stumbled into the bathroom.

The tiles under his feet were cold.

Link was sat at the edge of their tub and when he tried to take his shirt off, there were hands brushing them away and grabbing the hem of his shirt. He focused his eyes on Rhett, kneeling in front of him with a tender look on his face. “Let me take care of you,” Rhett said.

The prickly kiss pressed onto his cheek made Link melt and he just nodded.

Rhett undressed him slowly. In other time, in other moment and in other context, Link would have laughed and they would have exchanged heated kisses, lust palpable in the small room. Rhett wouldn’t have that concerned tone on his voice but a rough rumbling as he made his job to mark the extension of Link’s skin with his lips. Link would have to suppress a moan, chocking on air, as Rhett’s hands wandered down, and–

Rhett undressed him slowly and, in this time, in this moment and in this context, Link just looked lost. His head wasn’t in the right place and it was taking him a while to catch up with reality. As always, Rhett seemed to understand him better than himself. 

The water fell onto his hair and Link closed his eyes, his hands resting on Rhett’s arms lightly. He felt himself shivering slight and Rhett hushed him lovingly.

Showering together was a dance they had done together for a long while, but Link was sure his boyfriend was taking extra care of him today. Expertly fingers washed his hair, murmuring instructions softly, before moving to wash his skin. Link helped him too, entranced by the marks and freckles that with the years had appear on his boyfriend’s skin. He was slower than usual but Rhett didn’t seem to mind.

Rhett didn’t seem to mind at all and Link’s heart wanted to come out of his chest.

 

 

Getting dressed with fresh clothes and getting into bed again felt like a blessing.

Link looked at Rhett’s worn shirt on him: it was soft, it smelled like him and it was anything but an accident that he was wearing it. Rhett had never been one to share his clothes with Link and just the action of Rhett helping him get his own shirt on was a little too much for Link.

“Think you could stomach some food?” Rhett asked from the doorway, making his way into the room with pair of mugs in hand and balancing two plates with toast and jam on them. Link had barely eaten on the flight home, and while the thought of eating wasn’t on his mind, he just nodded.

They were sitting in bed, Link on his side and Rhett at the edge. Their more-milk-than-coffee mugs were sitting on the nightstand, cooling down. Rhett was talking about the day he had missed in the office, about something silly one of the guys had done. Link just looked down at his half bitten toast, half-listening.

He just got caught up on his brain a little too long.

“Hey,” Rhett said softly, resting his empty plate on the bed and moving closer. He seemed worried. “Link, what’s wrong?”

Link hadn’t realized that he was crying until he took a shaky breath. “Oh,” he let out, unsure. His fingers wiped away the small tears and shook his head. He swallowed loudly, feeling Rhett’s hand resting on his elbow and his thumb caressing his warm skin.

Rhett was too good for him: he knew him better that the palm of his hand and didn’t have to ask to know what Link needed from him. Link still hesitated when it was his turn to comfort his boyfriend and Rhett did it so effortlessly it made him feel tiny and uncertain. Rhett’s modest gestures seemed so grand and loving in moments like these that Link wasn’t sure what to do with himself.

So he cried, overwhelmed, as if his body was too small to contain all the emotions that had been rolling over him the past few hours. Maybe it was the exhaustion finally catching up to him.

Rhett called his name and Link just shot a faint smile at him. “It’s just–,” he said before stopping himself, his breath agitated. “Thank you, for… you know, _everything_ ,” and while there was so much more he wanted to say, life teaching him that today could be your last and spending the past day wearing his heart on his sleeve, Link just stayed quiet. 

He knew his boyfriend –god, his best friend, the love of his life for _Christ’s sake_ – would understand.

Some concerned washed away from Rhett’s face and he smiled warmly at him. He wanted to say so many things, too. To confess his heart out but it didn’t seem the place or the time. Either way, Link would understand –the actions spoke for themselves.

 “Of course, bo,” he replied, the pet name making Link melt with a half smile on his face.

Link didn’t take long to pull Rhett into bed with him, under the covers and with pillows swallowing them alive. It was cozy, maybe a little too warm even with the AC on, but Rhett didn’t care. He spent a few minutes just observing Link under him, his face pressed against his shoulder and dead to the world.

Rhett’s fingers found themselves playing with his hair, more to comfort himself than Link’s sleeping form. It was grounding –the weight of his boyfriend on him, his warmth and his damp hair, the shirt that was a bit too big for him– and Rhett didn’t want to let him out of his hold for a while. He wanted to keep Link there, to protect him from reality and sleep it away, even when he knew it was impossible.

So he just shifted and cradled his boyfriend closer to him, his nose brushing Link’s hair, and he closed his eyes.

Behind bright trees that drew shadows onto them and cotton candy clouds, the sun was hiding away when Link woke up. He was warm and, wrapped around Rhett’s arms, he felt loved.

In that miniscule moment, life seemed a little bit alright.

 


End file.
